Alternative to Dubai chocolate? - Another unusual recipe conquers everyone

In the social network TikTok, videos showing the preparation and tasting of a dish unusual for European taste - dates stuffed with butter and seasoned with salt - have gone viral. In the spring of this year, dates with butter and salt began appearing on the menus of Moscow restaurants. Snob magazine tells how this dish gained popularity, what it tastes like, and why it pairs well with aromatic orange wines and dry champagne.

Where the trend for dates with butter came from

In October 2024, a video appeared on TikTok in which the protagonist tries dates with butter and salt. Since its publication, this video has garnered 2.6 million views. Similar videos began to be made by users from different countries. These videos became especially popular in the fall of 2024 in the United States of America, and by spring 2025, the trend reached Russian users. The first establishment in Moscow to include dates with butter and salt on its menu was the Mates chain of coffee shops, pizzerias, and bistros, which had previously also been at the forefront of the popularity of flat croissants and Dubai chocolate in the city. According to Mates' marketing director Naida Omarova, her team strives to introduce their guests to all dishes that become trends on social media.

"I saw many videos with dates and decided to make them at home. Now I literally can't give them up," admits Omarova.

The popularity of dates stuffed with a fatty ingredient and seasoned with salt can be explained by two current gastronomic trends: a growing interest in butter and Arabic cuisine. In recent years, consumers in the United States have been reconsidering their attitude toward butter - it is less often considered a harmful product with high cholesterol content, and its beneficial properties are increasingly noted. The trend for dishes from Arab countries is largely associated with the recent popularity of Dubai chocolate, says gastronomic blogger Anna Gamil.

"After Dubai chocolate became fashionable, people began to wonder what other interesting dishes exist in Arabic cuisine," explains Gamil. "And they discovered a rather ancient recipe - dates with butter, which are traditionally consumed to gain energy in arid climates. It turned out that this dish helps not only residents of the Middle East. Dates with butter are a satisfying snack suitable for both the office and city walks."

There is also another reason for the popularity of this TikTok dish - the desire for simplicity, which began to form among the Moscow public.

"Some Muscovites are tired of complex gastronomic combinations, and when people sophisticated in gastronomy see something extremely simple - for example, radishes with champagne or dates with butter - they want to try it," notes Anna Gamil. "Moreover, interest in such simple dishes is more often shown by gastronomically experienced restaurant visitors who want a contrast to complex dishes."

What dates with butter taste like

The taste of this dish is simultaneously sweet, fatty, and slightly salty. According to Anna Gamil, this is the secret of its success.

"Many people like sweet taste, but they don't like excessive sweetness. Butter with its soft creaminess helps balance the sweetness of dates. And salt is a kind of final chord that unites and emphasizes the other flavors. It's no wonder that salt is actively used in the production of desserts, such as caramel and chocolate," she explains.

Naida Omarova, marketing director of the Mates chain, adds that dates with butter taste similar to cookie dough popular in the USA.

"A date has a soft, almost chewy texture. Butter in combination with it is perceived as cream, and salt contrasts with the natural sweetness of the date and makes it more pronounced. This dish seems simple at first glance, but is actually amazing," says Omarova.

What dates with butter pair with

Champagne can be the perfect pair for the